A care home manager has been ordered to pay £4,090 after two people who used wheelchairs drowned when their boat capsized during a day out, according to The Independent. The two residents were said to have been strapped into electric wheelchairs with no way of being released from them.
Janice Sowden, 60, had previously pleaded guilty to failing to provide safe care and treatment that resulted in avoidable harm to Alexander Wood, Alison Tilsley and Kate Dart. Father-of-four Mr Wood, 43, and Ms Tilsley, 63, reportedly died when the wheelyboat they were traveling in capsized at Roadford Lake Activity Centre, with their heavy wheelchairs said to have dragged them under the water.
Ms Dart also reportedly suffered serious injury in the incident, during which Sowden, as the registered manager, was said to be responsible for health and safety. Exeter Magistrates’ Court heard that Sowden failed to assess the risks of the outing in June 2022, which involved taking six people, all of whom were said to be wheelchair users, from Burdon Grange Care Home to the activity centre.
The court heard how the boat capsized within minutes of the trip beginning
James Marsland, prosecuting, reportedly said: “A wheelyboat, ie, a boat designed to carry wheelchair users, had been hired from the centre for a trip on the lake.” He added: “Alexander Wood and Alison Tilsley, in particular, were strapped into electric wheelchairs without any means of being released from them.”
The court heard that the vessel started to take on water within minutes and soon capsized. Mr Marsland said Mr Wood and Ms Tilsley were “drowned by the weight of their wheelchairs” as the chairs pulled them under the water. The case has placed renewed focus on the people who do this work, and some caretakers who go beyond their duties have drawn attention elsewhere.
Mr Marsland said: “Miss Sowden did not undertake any risk assessment in relation to the needs of the service users… Nor did she ensure that any such risk assessment did take place.” He described it as “a classic case of serious negligence.”
Sowden, of Beaworthy, Devon, had been appointed registered manager at the home in 2016 and was described in court as having previously been “caring” and “diligent” in her work. However, the court heard that a “cultural complacency” developed in the home in the run-up to the incident, and that standards had slipped.
Judge Stuart Smith said the facility had been home to “extremely vulnerable” service users, and that it should have been obvious to Sowden that health and safety assessments needed to be completed before the trip. He added that insufficient consideration was also given to the abilities of staff members, one of whom was said to be unable to swim, and described Sowden as “blase” about risk.
The court also heard that Sowden went on to attempt to fabricate evidence of health and safety considerations after the incident, allegedly creating a fake checklist for the boat trip in order to “deceive” investigators. Cases involving vulnerable people often raise wider questions, much like the tough choices some families face over care reported elsewhere.
On Tuesday, Sowden was reportedly ordered to pay a total of £4,090, which included a £190 government surcharge and £2,000 as a contribution to prosecution costs. The court heard that Sowden, who is said to have mobility issues, currently receives benefits and will likely have to retrain in order to find work again, outside of the care sector.
Addressing Sowden, Judge Smith said: “This case is nothing short of devastating… The lives of two much-loved residents, Alexander Wood and Alison Tilsley, have been lost.” He added: “This was in no small part a direct consequence of your cavalier attitude to good health and safety practice.”
The judge went on to say: “This incident has caused immeasurable grief to the families of Alex and Alison.” The amount Sowden was ordered to pay, according to the report, came to £4,090 in total once the surcharge and the contribution to costs were included.
Published: Jun 25, 2026 11:40 am